Alternaties
by Autumn Skys
Summary: Maeve has survived the fire and she raises Morgan. But now Morgan is thrown into a world she does not understand. Her past haunts her and she feels weird reactions towards a boy she does not think she should like. In the end, will Morgan make it out okay?
1. Morgan

What if Maeve managed to escape the barn Ciaran put on fire, but Angus didn't? So now Maeve is living secretly with her daughter, Morgan, who hasn't a clue what happened to her real father. They've relocated to Widow's Vale, where Maeve's gotten then name Kendal Roberts so Ciaran can't track her and her daughter, and Morgan's not as shy as she was…what happens in this alternative? Read on 

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What she doesn't know won't hurt her, right? So why do I feel every day that I must tell her of her heritage?

- Bradhadair

"Mom, I need a diet Coke before I go to school!" I loved Coke, although my mom thought it was repulsive and crinkled her nose at it every time. She was so pretty…and I wasn't as much. She loves me just the same though.

"How can you drink that stuff?" my mom said, right on cue. She came into the room with a diet Coke in her hand, her russet hair swinging on her shoulders.

"Easy," I said, popping the top and taking a large swig.

She smiled and sat down next to me. She looked like she had something on her mind. Actually, she didn't look it, she felt it. Don't ask; this stuff just happens to me. Every time I bring it up though, my mom smiles weakly at me and gives the lame joke that I 'have a sixth sense'.

"What?" I said, a little worried. We were so close; I could not imagine life without her.

"Nothing," she said, swiveling to look at me. "Are you excited about your junior year?"

I shrugged. I was dressed in my usual attire; black halter, faded blue jeans, and a belt hung loosely around my hips. My eyeliner was thick under my hazel eyes, matching my dark irises. "I guess. I'd be happier if Raven and Beth were in my grade, but they're not. I'd just begun hanging out with this girl named Sunny. Such a weird name, huh? But she's nice, and she's Beth's little sister."

My mom nodded distractedly. "That's nice, sweetie." She patted me on my knee.

"Will you please tell me what's going on?" I said, getting aggravated.

"Not now, Morgan," she said sadly, turning her head down. "Maybe later, okay?"

I just nodded and stood up to adjust my belt. "Okay," I leaned down to hug her, and her arms went around me and she squeezed me tight. "Love you."

"Love you, too," she replied softly.

**Sorry if it's a short chapter…it's kind of an introduction to Morgan and her friends.**


	2. Knowledge

The first day of school. Nerves jittered nervously in my stomach as I climbed the steps to my homeroom. I wasn't shy; never had been. I had been raised to be strong, to not back down. I was raised tough and sure of myself. I'd been raised by my mother, Kendal.

In my homeroom, there was the usual crew; Bree Warren, this girl who got boys with the flick of her fingernail and I thought was somewhat of a showoff; Robbie Gurevich, face covered in zits; Sunny Nielson, my new best friend and some other kids I really didn't care much about.

Since the seats were alphabetically ordered, I was next to this shy boy named Joey Ryan. He never said anything, and he wasn't even half-bad looking. He had nice, crystal blue eyes and black hair that flopped over his eyes. I slid into my seat easily, getting glances from Bree who looked at me like I was some kind of jerk. I turned my nose up. Robbie looked back at Bree. I'd always wondered if her full name was really Bree or Brianna or something. The teacher strolled in just then, and I crossed my arms and sank in my chair. He took attendance, and I knew I was near the end, so I kind of fell into my own zone. I thought about Joey…hey, he was cute enough. He needed a confidence boost. That confidence boost was going to be me. Suddenly, someone strolled through the door.

"Um, is this Mr. Harris' homeroom?" he asked.

This was Mr. Anderson's homeroom. The guy was a living God, like I cared. I was sitting next to a demigod, anyway. The God looked at me, and his eyes sparked. Hmm, I thought, he has nice eyes. He turned out of the room, but not before giving me a quick wink. Ugh, I thought, stop dreaming. The day went by, and I paid attention to what all my teachers had to say so I could ease by junior year with A's. I talked to Sunny, asked Joey out, and caught that new guy, Cal Blaire, staring at me more than once like he was trying to decipher me.

After school, that Cal guy caught up to me. "Hey, your name's Morgan, right?" The way he set it made me kind of pissed, although he was just genuinely friendly.

"What's it to you?" I retorted. He kind of shrunk back from me, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Um, well," Cal said, at a loss for words. Apparently, no one had treated him unequally yet. I was a first. "I'd like to get to know people in the area, and you seem…interesting."

"Interesting, eh?" I said, trying to sound displeased. Truth behold, this guy was cute and way beyond my reach. And interesting? Very lame word.

"In a good way," he put in helpfully. I scrutinized him. He didn't seem bad. But just because he didn't seem bad didn't mean he wasn't.

After a long moment of silence, I said, "Whatever," and hopped into my banged up Jaguar. It was all my mom could afford at the time, and I loved it just as it was, even though Cal would probably snicker at it. I stole a glance. He wasn't. He went up a notch in my mind. I rode off before he could make any words.

xXx

"Mom?" I called out into the house when I arrived home.

"Hi," my mom said. She was sitting on the couch looking sick, with a damp washcloth pressed against her forehead. I immediately threw down my bag and took off my shoes.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded and sniffled. "I will be. But, Morgan, I need to tell you something."

I reared, not sure if I wanted to know. "What?" my voice sounded soft and mangled, even to myself. She gave me pained expression, and if she really didn't want to be here, talking to me. I didn't want to admit that that hurt.

"My name's not Kendal Roberts," she said sullenly.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God. So, you did marry Angus then? Kendal Bramson? That's a nice name."

"No, Morgan. My real name's Maeve Riordan," she said. Now she really didn't sound like she wanted to be here.

"What's that mean?"

"It means you're Morgan Riordan." I didn't get what this meant. I absorbed in my mother's image for the first time. Her hair was greasy, her forehead wet. She looked really sick. I didn't say anything, and neither did she, so I went and made her some tea. I handed it to her and she weakly circled her hand over it and murmured something. Then she took a sip and sighed. "Look, Morgan…" she began. "We're in danger. Something wants us, and…"

"Why do they want us?" I said nervously. We were your every-day average American family living in Widow's Vale, New York.

My mother, Maeve Riordan, leaned forward and patted my knee. "We're real, ancestral witches, Morgan. We can do magick."

I snorted.

She gazed at me sharply. "You know when you feel if someone's sad or not, but they're not portraying in on their face or so?"

I nodded, dreading what was to come.

"Well, witches can do that. You see, I made us go to church so no one would suspect a thing. I gave up my magick a while ago, but I think I need to bring back an old memory, since it's the only way to protect us, and - " she stopped with a loud banging on the door. She turned slowly, wide-eyed. "Whatever you do," she said to me, "do not answer that."


	3. Defeat

Author's Notes: Okay, yeah, I know I have not updated in…a little under a year? But I became uninterested in the series, therefore lost my thought with this, and it had nowhere to go. However, I recently just got the series (minus one and four) and I am re-reading them, and I am currently on number eight. So if there are things or technicalities I mess up on, I am sorry. But please know I plan on updating much more frequently and writing a few Sweep one-shots in the near future (so please review them when they come along, I may post them together, though, in the same story)! Please do enjoy, and I do apologize.

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I know they are coming.

_I can feel them coming closer, hunting, searching. I know what I must do, even if I do not want to do it. It has been peaceful here._

_- Bradhadair _

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Breathing heavily, I turned sharply towards the door, hearing the voices float from behind the thick piece of wood. "Somebody, answer!" a male yelled, and I knew I must look scared; I had never felt so afraid in my life.

"Morgan," hissed my mom – who was actually no longer Kendal Roberts, as I had grown up to know, but Maeve Riordan, a totally different person – and without hesitation I crawled slowly into the kitchen.

Resisting the serious need to drink some Diet Coke for an energy boost, I opened the cupboard below the sink. I maneuvered my body to fit in there, shoving the few detergents stored there against the back. My knees scraped the plumbing, but I was too nervous to care. My mom was nowhere to be seen, and someone was watching us because we could, apparently, do magick.

I could hear mom hiding as someone picked the lock with what sounded like a paperclip. I could hear the door creek open then, and I had to manage to keep myself in check so I wouldn't open the door just to peek and see who it was.

"Come…on…" said a voice, "Sky, they should be here! We can't let them slip. If we do, we won't be able to re-enforce their powers in our clan. The Riordan's, Sky!"

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. They were talking about the Riordan's, too. They were real. My mom and I were them. And somehow, we had an important role in society.

"I still can't believe that baby is alive," said Sky, in a voice that suggested she was annoyed and also female.

"Sky, do you think they're here?"

"I don't know, Hunter, let's search," she replied, and we could hear them moving around, checking under the couch, behind the TV stand.

"I haven't seen anything!" cried Hunter, and Sky grunted in reply.

"Check under the sink," said Sky. "But I don't know why we wouldn't be able to sense them…"

There was a moment of silence as Hunter's footsteps drew closer, heavy footfalls that seemed to echo my fast heartbeat as he neared. When he finally opened the cupboard and saw me seating there, gazing up at him, I screamed. There was a stumbling of noise on the other side of Hunter (he was blocking my view) and he whirled around as blue fire was thrown at him, my mom looking wild with her fingers shaped like a claw in Hunter's direction.

He swiftly made a sign in the air and the fire stopped. Mom looked at him sharply, one eyebrow rose as she glared at him. "Who are you," she breathed, "and what do you want?"

"International Council of Witches," said Hunter, raising his hand. "I've come to protect you. You've been found out about, and they're coming after you."

I could only guess 'they' was bad by the look on my mom's face and the way her hand swung down to her side in defeat. "You're that youngest member aren't you?" Hunter nodded swiftly, and she sighed, looking at me.

"Go get packed, Morgan," she muttered, and I stared at her in disbelief.

"_Packed_?" I screeched. "We're actually going to _follow _these loons?"

Some part of me told me I was being irrational, but I didn't care. My mom was telling me to go with two strangers who had just _broken _into my house. They were all talking about some Council of Witches and my mom had just thrown fire at someone. "You'll be coming to stay with us," said Hunter, and I finally looked at him in a new light – and not a good one.

He was blonde, with the palest hair and the greenest of eyes. He also had pale skin and bit of freckles specked across the bridge of his nose. His lips were currently in a thin line since he was very concentrated. Plus I had just gotten a new boyfriend. I was going _nowhere. _

"I am not going with you," I said stubbornly, and my mom glared at me while Hunter sent me a half-amused glance and Sky looked disgruntled.

"Yes, you are," he replied coolly, and I blinked back at him. "Even if I must bind you together – which means using my magick to stick you all together like you're in some kind of wrap – then I will."

He turned away from me, and I found myself glaring at the spikes of the back of his blonde hair. Sky sent me a cold look and I resisted the urge to give her the finger, reminding myself that my calm, sweet mother was standing right there.

"As I was saying," said Hunter, "our house is just on the outskirts of this town, so we aren't that far away, yet it is far enough."

My mom and I exchanged a look, a silent communication.

_I don't want to go._

_We have to. _

As I resisted the silly urge to cry I looked around the house. If we left here, it might be destroyed. The house I grew up in would be no more, and we would never have a home to return to. It destroyed me, but I blinked it back and stomped upstairs as loudly as I could.

Even though I tried to be obnoxious, Hunter's, Sky's, and my mom's calm voices drifted upstairs like wisps of smoke. I could hear them, as much as I tried to ignore them. My mom telling Hunter sadly that I had been like this for awhile now – a rebel. I gritted my teeth at the memory, ignoring the pain that suddenly was overwhelming.

He had come to me when I was young, free, and careless. He was my mother's ex-lover and I didn't even know his name.

My mom and I had gone for a walk in the woods. While she had looked at herbs and plants on the forest floor, I became bored and told my mom I was going for a walk. She told me not to go too far, and I agreed. I set off happily, skipping, not realizing when I had out-stepped the boundary I'd said I would stay in, and suddenly found myself lost and alone.

He, mom's ex-lover, had walked up the path whistling, an axe hefted over his shoulder, leather gloved hands in his farmer-looking coat pocket. I was crying and shaking, and he stopped when he saw me. "Are you okay, young lady?" he asked, the perfect gentleman and charming. He knelt down beside me as I shook my head, listened as I stuttered that I had lost my mom.

He'd grinned then, the sudden charm and good mannerism of his features gone. He pushed my shoulder back, so I smashed into the ground with a dull thud. He'd then twisted his fingers and a cage of a bright gold twisted around me, forming complex patterns and his rhythmic fingering was hypnotic. I watched as he wove my cage, making it tougher and thicker, and more intense as it pressed down around me. I should have escaped as soon as I saw the flickering lights, but I was little and unsure of what to do with a stranger. It also hadn't helped that I'd been lost and away from my mother.

Eventually the cage pressed was so tight if I moved an inch I was electrified by the golden light. It was strong, and I felt like I couldn't breathe from the pressure. I could feel panic just rushing in me, overwhelming me. He grinned at me, muttered something else, and his face blurred from my memories so all I could remember was his charm, his outfit, and his manners – good and bad. He'd left then, giving me one last smile as he left.

My mom, screaming, had found me tied up in these weird strands of light, strangely quiet and strangely mystified. She had been gasping, done some weird symbols in her air of her own, and then the cage had gone – like that. Apparently, mister-no-face hadn't thought my mom would ever find me and had seriously left.

Until now, I had not known what had happened to me. I had not known that magick was something real, until just today. My mom had freaked, and random people had appeared at my doorstep – or more like broke in through the doorstep. But how did I know what to do? They sounded like they wanted to protect me as well as my mom. What did I hold that they wanted? And what was I supposed to do about it?

I clicked my suitcase shut and dragged it down the stairs, each landing plunking and causing Hunter, Sky, and my mom to look up at me and my cheeks to turn slightly pink.

Hunter immediately moved to come help me, his hand brushing mine as he reached for the handle. I felt something weird shoot up my arm and the air seemed thicker, but I brushed it off as paranoia and I let him carry it, stomping off to go into his ratty old Honda, knowing he would probably get my car later – there was no way he was going to let me drive my car now.

Sky stayed inside and helped my mother pack, and Hunter climbed inside the driver's seat and I went inside the back. There was an awkward silence as Hunter's mouth opened a few times, as if he wanted to say something but was not quite sure what. When my mom and Sky finally came through the front door, my mom locking it behind her, the tension seemed to drop of Hunter and me as we sighed in relief.

My mom's and Sky's presence seemed to fill up the car as they spoke, and I ignored them as Hunter joined in, pressing my forehead against the cool car window's glass. The first tear slipped down my cheek, but I turned away and prayed no one noticed.

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Please tell me what you think! Again, I apologize for the very long wait!


	4. Echoes

New chapter already…Hope this was faster updating

New chapter…hope this was faster updating than before. : )

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I know she does not approve, but there is not much I can do. I think this Seeker might be the only chance that we may have at survival. I will do whatever it takes to protect her from this; to not let her get involved before she can not turn back.

_- Brahadair _

Hunter and Sky's house was small and miserable. I did not see how four of us could live in this one house; it was small and cramped, and the windows were dirty, and the roof looked blackened with soot and dirt. Hunter dismally looked at it, not looking at my mom's or my disbelieving expressions.

"It's not much," he said: Understatement of the year.

My mom and I both moved with slow motions as we took our few suitcases and headed forwards, looking up at the miserable house as it shadowed us. We exchanged quick glances before taking a deep breath simultaneously and followed Hunter and Sky the rest of the way up the walk. They seemed to be looking at each other, passing messages with their eyes.

Hunter opened the door wide for me, and I accidentally brushed his arm as I was walking through. Snapping my arm to my side as something crackled along it, I glared at him before scurrying in at a faster pace, although I could sense that Hunter felt mystified.

Mom's and Sky's voices drifted in, warm and mellow and somehow the opposite of everything I seemed to stand for. It was frustrating yet calming at the same time; she was someone I knew and I should feel proud to be related and close to her, yet it was unfair that I could not be like her, happy and cheerful when my temper gets the best of me.

"This is only a two bedroom house," said Hunter, taking my suitcase from me, and I didn't even protest, more concerned with getting my fingers away from his. "So, Sky and your mum decided that you should share with Sky. Your mum will be able to take the couch."

"No." I shook my head immediately, and Hunter frowned.

"Why do you have to argue with everything? Your mum already said this would be best." He was glaring at me now, and my hands involuntarily curled into fists.

"She should get the bedroom," I argued, "I'll get the couch." He looked at me warily, as if I was just trying to trick him. "Really," I insisted, "I'd rather my mom share with Sky."

It would be awkward between me and Sky. I can already feel negative vibes coming from her; they're pointed at me, too.

"Fine," snapped Hunter, his cheeks flushing red. I had the oddest thought that he was angry because he couldn't argue, and deep inside it made me smile, even though my face was positioned perfectly neutral. "Athar," he called out, and Sky's voice came back softly. Athar? "Morgan has decided she'll take the couch, so Maeve will share with you."

Why the heck had he called her "Athar"? There was a grunt and a squeak in reply, but my stubborn energy seemed to fill up the house and in a few moments it was silent.

"Athar is Sky's coven name." Hunter was replying to my earlier unasked question, but knowing that it was her coven name did not help. I'd probably read it in some book somewhere, but…

My cell phone rang loudly in my pocket, an embarrassing jingle with a mix of notes that sounded like a piccolo and a tuba playing together. My cheeks flushing red as I determinedly did not look at Hunter's face, I extracted the phone from my pocket and pressed the green phone button (it wasn't a flip phone) and brought it to my ear without even looking at the number. "Hello?"

It could have been some stalker movie and a freaky raspy voice was heard on the other end, telling me they were watching me, but instead I got bubbly and bright and energetic and somehow I knew it was Joey Ryan before he even spoke. "Um, hey, Joey," I said nervously, lifting my finger to my mouth and beginning to bite my nail. And old habit has risen from the dead.

"Hey, Morg-er-an," he said uncertainly, and I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from laughing. He had been striving for a nickname, and that hadn't turned out too well. "I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie with me."

There was a sticky moment of silence where Hunter was giving me an unreadable look. "Um," I squeaked, and hated myself for seeming so vulnerable, "I don't think this is a good time for me to be in a relationship, Joey." Hunter's golden eyebrows rose and I glared at him.

Joey was silent on the other end. "Is there another guy?"

I sputtered for a moment. "Another _guy_?" I laughed maniacally, glaring at Hunter as he moved closer. What on earth was he doing?

"Morrrrrrggggaaaannnn," called out Hunter, and he was close enough that I knew Joey could hear him. "Come back to bed, honey."

Absolutely mortified, my mouth hung open and my cheeks flamed red while Hunter gave a satisfied smirk. I'd never wanted to punch someone more. "You slut!" Joey's voice echoed angrily. "I don't even know why you asked me out in the first place!"

Crap. I'd forgotten that had been me. I opened my mouth to retort but the phone clicked and I realized with a whoosh of anger he had hung up on me. Clicking the red phone button, I glared at Hunter with my arms crossed. "What the _hell _was that for?" I asked. Truly stung, I just glared at him.

Hunter shrugged, a boyish smirk crossing his face. "You wanted to dump him," he said, "and he's been dumped. I don't see the problem."

Anger spammed across my face as my arms uncrossed and I stepped toward him. "You _jerk_!" I half-growled, half-screamed, pounding him on the chest with my fists. He looked surprised that I was resorting to such low measures – I was surprised myself. "You had sexual intentions while I was dumping a boy, making me look like a total _tramp_!"

He blinked at me, his sea green eyes narrowing, and suddenly he looked more serious. Stiffly, he said, "Morgan, I was helping the problem be solved. You can't have contact with anyone when we're here; we're supposed to keep you hidden and away from the tainted side. So, give me the phone."

"Whaaat?" I drawled angrily, cuddling my phone close to my chest. He was not taking this away from me! My last piece of sanity…my phone. What, were witches able to send secret messages so they didn't need cell phones? Hunter sure seemed interested in seeing my phone…

Hunter snatched the phone from my hand, not even caring that I was clutching it close. I protested squeakily, but he ignored me and I just gave up, knowing it was a lost cause. He examined the phone carefully before sticking it in his pocket, and I glared at him once more. He was such a jerk! Couldn't he just mind his own business?

Grumbling angrily, telling him he had to call the school and tell them I'd be going away unexpectedly, I curled up in front of the fire on the couch and ignored the others until dinner time, when I was just too hungry to ignore anymore.

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After dinner Hunter and Sky announced that we were going to perform a Wiccan circle. My mom nodded, looking happy and pleased, but I just kind of stared at them. What was I to expect? A Wiccan circle already, along with becoming adjusted to this new life plan? It was just moving too fast for me. I never much liked change to begin with.

But my mom took my hand gently and led me to the living room, where Hunter began to draw a circle with chalk. He left a bit open and we all stepped in, and then he closed it. We joined hands; well, they joined hands and looked at me expectantly. I grimaced but held my mom's hand and Hunter's, trying to ignore those damned shocks that went up my forearm from being in contact with Hunter.

"Goddess," said Hunter clearly but softly, "as the evils grow we pray that we can withhold against them. We ask for patience and guidance. Blessed be."

"Blessed be," Sky and Mom echoed, and embarrassedly I muttered, "Blessed be," quickly after them. Then they started to move around in a circle, and I was dragged along around and around, and I felt something uprising in me. Something powerful; something so strong that it was unbearable, hard to contain. It flew out of me like streaming ribbons, and I dropped Hunter's and Mom's hands to reach upwards, and I noticed everyone else was reaching towards the sky as well. Feeling dizzy and sick but wonderful, I found myself laughing as I got the sensation of shooting upwards. I then noticed we were in what seemed like Outer Space; we were surrounded by twinkling stars, but then my mom, Sky, and Hunter flickered from view.

"Hello?" I whispered. "Mom?" No reply. Nervously, I reached out for a star. As soon as my fingers touched it, it turned black and fell into ash, dropping at my feet. The other stars transformed as well, looking as though this was the remains of a fire.

"_Morgan!" _The voice seemed to rise from the ashes, shaking at quivering and weak, but nonetheless holding power. _"I am searching for you, Morgan!" _

I could feel myself shake, could feel myself screaming even as everything became brighter.

"Morgan!" someone was screaming. "Morgan!"

"She's coming to," murmured Sky comfortingly, and I realized my cheeks were wet and someone's hands were on my shoulders and my head was on someone's lap.

My eyes peeked open; my mom was standing over me, the one who had been shaking my shoulders gently, and my head was in Hunter's lap.

"The circle was infiltrated." Well, Sky certainly is a blunt person. "Someone really wants you, Morgan. More then they want your mother, it seems."

Mom bit her lip and looked away.

It hit me with a weird reality that someone was trying to kill me. At the same time, I realized I must look like hell and my eyeliner and mascara must have run. It was a weird combination to realize, and I found myself blinking as I stared up at Hunter, my eyes big.

"What's going to happen to me?" I faltered, and Hunter looked down at me.

"Nothing," Hunter said sternly. "We'll protect you at all costs, Morgan."

The seriousness of his tone made me give him a watery smile. "But I can't promise I'll let you."

Hunter gave me a confused look as he tried to grasp the meaning with Sky and Mom staring at me. Ignoring them all, I went and curled up on the couch, begging for sleep to take me.

At least there, for now, it was peaceful.


	5. Shadows

Okay, sorry, this took a bit longer than I anticipated…my apologies. It seems as if every two chapters when I write this story I get kind of stuck, sorry. Please, do review.

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When I awoke the next morning, I could hear banging around in the kitchen and somehow just knew it was Hunter in there. Some knew witch-sense, probably, that I hoped wasn't about to kill me.

He came out then; mug in hand, gave me a look, and then went back inside the kitchen. When he re-entered the living room that was more-or-less my room now, he had two mugs, both steaming. Handing me one, he said, "Tea. It's good, especially with the honey I added. Just try it." Giving me a strange look, he added, "And no, we have no Diet Coke."

A strangled laugh escaped me, but he didn't even crack a smile and my laugh didn't last very long. As I put the mug to my lips, he stopped me. "No! Wait!" he cried, and I jumped. A bit of tea sloshed over the side, instantly forming a warm, wet spot on my flannel pajama pants. "Don't you know…you have to cool it first, Morgan."

I nodded, and said, "Of course," and then began to blow on the top of my tea. Surprising me, Hunter began to laugh.

"I suppose you've never learned how to cool tea the proper way," said Hunter mockingly, and I found myself glaring at him and his British-ness. He took my mug from me, me squawking in protest, and muttered, "Cool the fire," while moving his hand in a circular motion counter clockwise. He then handed the mug back to me. When I didn't feel the heat warm my fingertips through the ceramic, I stared at him, wide-eyed. "Go ahead," he said with a nod, "drink it."

I took a tiny test sip, and felt my eyes grow wider (if that was even possible). The tea was perfect; room temperature, not to hot, but not too cold. Hunter was giving me a cocky smirk, and for some odd reason I felt like wiping it right off of his face. Huffing, I said, "Diet Coke is still better."

He gave me the strangest look then. _How can anyone think an artificial drink is better than a healing, medicinal, calming mug of chamomile tea? _

"Sorry," Hunter said bracingly, breaking my thoughts. "There are no soft drinks in this house at all."

I somehow felt Sky and Mom above me; I stretched out somehow, letting my mind drift away from me, as if I could just touch their essence and see what they were doing. "How are you doing that?" breathed Hunter next to me, and I snapped my head towards him.

"Doing what?" I said, utterly perturbed.

"Casting your senses." They way he said this, as if it were the most common thing, had me frowning. I didn't want to say, "I don't know what that means!" and sound like a total idiot, but I was so unsure.

"Casting your senses," began Hunter in a cool voice, and I felt my cheeks flush involuntarily, "is when you put your magick out around you, and see if you can feel any presences, sort of." He looked like he was struggling to describe it.

I frowned. "Well, I had been trying to do something sort of like that…I guess. I was just trying to see if Sky and my mom were awake."

Hunter looked at me. "Where they?"

"No." I looked back at him, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, like his eyes were shooting out electrical currents. What the heck was he doing? Dark magick? Surely playing with people's emotions must be against some rule…

Ignoring him, I went back to sipping my tea. I wished it was sweeter; it still seemed kind of bland to me. Should I ask Hunter where the sugar was? No, I decided, that'd make me look even more stupid and immature than I already looked.

I gulped down the rest of the tea with a grimace, pretending it was something else tasty and sugary but not really buying it. It seemed my life had gone in a downfall; I had to break up with Joey, that new boy Cal thought I had left forever, and I was stuck here with this blonde British-boy named Hunter. It was just peachy.

Once he put down his tea, he turned to me. "We're going to need to study, Morgan," said Hunter, and I couldn't help but look irritated. I hated studying. "The major thing in Wicca is learning the smaller things. To complete the larger magick, smaller things – even if it's just performing remedies for a headache or helping a plant grow."

I stared at him. Was he serious? Couldn't I just take an aspirin and water a plant or something?

"You'll need to focus," he said, and then began showing me runes and sigils, like Eolh for protection and Ur for strength.

He made me retrace them again and again until I memorized them, and my back hurt for sitting still for so long. By this time, I was really going weary from Hunter's antagonizing accent (which might be nice if it wasn't being used to lecture me on symbols).

When my mom and Sky finally came down to save me from my torture, it was nearly eleven and my head was pounding.

* * *

Later, Sky and Hunter made me relive what I had seen during the circle yesterday. It was a bit painful to revive it; it had scared me so much that I was trying to forget about it. Sky, Hunter, and Mom puzzled over it for a while; they thought it might be just a dream, and then a message, and then a bunch of things from me or to me, and it all didn't make any sense at all.

While they worked over it, I went outside and sat on the back porch, looking at the expanse of green leaves and thick tree trunks. It was peaceful until I caught a quick movement out of the corner of my eye. It was just what seemed to be a bit of a shadow, but I was certain I had seen something. Out of reflex, my gaze immediately snapped to the spot where I had apparently hallucinated. Nothing was there except for a few rustling branches and leaves.

"Hello?" I called out softly, and then realized with stupidity that that was the thing when you were watching a horror movie you were telling the lead _not _to do. And secondly, I could "cast" my senses. As Hunter had told me, I stretched out my mind seemingly, but nothing in the forest came to me. There were no human beings out there.

However, I could feel something new. It was like someone was watching me; I could feel pressure from all around, but I didn't know what to do. Falling to my knees, I looked up. Everything seemed hazy and uneven, and I couldn't help but feel lost and afraid.

And then the sensation went away, and doors were banging shut behind me as my Mom was on the porch. She looked frantic; her hands were shaking. For once, I noticed Sky and Hunter did not follow. They must have thought we needed mother-daughter-bonding-time or something. Mom looked different from how she had before, when everything didn't relate to Wicca and magick. She had dark bags under her eyes; she seemed thinner and paler than I had seen her in a long time. It gave me an uneasy feeling deep in the pit of my stomach to realize things now were out of my reach.

"Was there another presence here?" Mom questioned, and I found myself staring at her in pure amazement.

"Yes…like someone was looking for me."

"Oh, Goddess," whispered Mom, reaching out to grasp my arm. "Someone was scrying you! Morgan, please, if you know who it was, please tell me!"

Feeling desperate at the look of pleading on her face, I looked at my ratty shoes that were unraveling as I just stood there. Finally, I looked into my mom's dimmed eyes.

"I don't know."

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Again, I apologize for the lateness. Please, please review!


	6. Father

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Okay, I'm going to apologize for lateness… once again. Okay, I know I totally suck with updating. But my old computer broke, and I always typed in a certain font, and the font doesn't look the same on this computer! And I know that's trivial and kind of stupid, but… ugh, I hate typing in different fonts. Weirdly enough. Anyways, I apologize, and here's the next chapter.

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I followed my mom back silently into the house, where Hunter and Sky were waiting patiently, Hunter's face carefully blank (I could still sense his worry, anyways) and Sky's just naturally blank. "What's going on?" asked Hunter softly, after I had seated on the floor and my mom and started pacing.

"She was being scryed," my mom answered shortly, and Sky spared me a flick of a glance. "Doesn't know who." She turned to me suddenly. "Morgan, I don't want you stepping foot out of this house."

I opened my mouth in protest, my eyes wide. "But –"

"I know it won't make much of a difference, but I'd feel much better if you didn't leave the house!"

I felt myself want to rebel, like I was so used to. I could just ignore her, and leave right now. Then again, they were all skilled magickally. I probably had no chance when it came to fighting them – they knew spells, and saran-wrap-like binding, as Hunter had said.

"Is it the man again?" I asked softly, and my mom stopped pacing to look at me with wide eyes.

"What man?" she asked nervously, wrapping her arms around herself. I felt my heart pang, but I looked away.

"The man who put the cage around me." My voice was little, soft; something new was coming from Sky, like surprise, and something even weirder coming from Hunter…. Sympathy, maybe?

I could feel my mother's gaze; had she thought that I'd forgotten? Had she thought that maybe I wouldn't even remember the man in the forest, the man who had fooled me into thinking everything was going to be fine and then, instead, turned into an angry-looking jack-o-lantern and made his hands form lines and lines of gold, a cage that pushed me down so my chest constricted, and I couldn't breathe at all….

I was beginning to realize that my breathing was becoming faster, choppier, almost as if I was hyperventilating. "You remember that?" asked Mom, and I nodded slowly, feeling the telltale prickle of tears. Oh no – I was _not _going to cry. Suddenly Mom was there, she had my face in her hands, even though I was taller than she was by a good couple of inches.

"Who did that to you?" Her breathing was as sharp and scratchy as mine was. "Tell me, Morgan!"

"I didn't know him!" I said, terrified, trying to pull away from my mom. Who was she? Once we had been so close, so familiar, and I'd felt like I'd known her. Now she was someone different, and I felt like I didn't even know her anymore. Like she wasn't the person I'd grown up depending on for nearly everything. "He – he seemed so nice and charming. And his hair was a dark brown, and – and – his eyes were kind of a gray and brown, kind of murky, and… how come you never asked me about this before? What's the point now? This was over ten years ago, Mom!"

The room had gone strangely silent. Mom closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Oh, no." Her voice shook as she crossed her arms over her eyes. "Oh, no, oh, no, oh no."

Hunter, who had been quiet all this time, spoke up. "Who was it?"

"Her father," murmured Mom.

"What?!" I nearly screamed. "You told me he died in a fire! I was four when that happened!"

"I know Morgan, I'm sorry!" Mom said, beginning to cry. "Ang-Angus died in the fire, he wasn't your father, but he stayed with me."

"Then who's my dad?"

More silence as Mom cried even harder.

"Tell me!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

Hunter stood up, his hands out in front of him in the universal "calm down" gesture. "Morgan, maybe you should –"

Before I knew what was happening, I flung out my hand, and a little crackle of blue fire, like I'd seen Mom throw at Hunter when he'd infiltrated our house, shot out. Hunter drew a sigil in the air, and the fire stopped suddenly. I was gazing at my hand as if I'd never seen it before. Hunter was gazing at _me _as if he'd never seen _me _before. "How'd you do that?" he breathed, and I temporarily forgot about my unnamed dad.

"I just…" I said confusedly, not really understanding either. How had I done that? I'd never done that before, ever. "Got mad and flung it out…" I demonstrated, but nothing happened.

"She's powerful," spoke Sky softly from behind Hunter, so I couldn't see her face.

"But you still haven't told me who my dad is," I said, turning to Mom. "Why won't you tell me? Don't I deserve to know? He's my dad! I know he's evil! I know he doesn't love me! I know he – !" My voice broke, and I sniffed, brushing my hand impatiently over my eyes. "I just don't care anymore! Nothing is the same, it doesn't even matter!"

There was silence as I thought of the man in the clearing and as Mom cried, still. My dad. Could I remember the details of his face? He'd had my eyes – those slashes, with the corners slightly tilted up. His hair – a dark brown, kind of like mine. But that had been years ago… he was probably older now, his hair graying slightly. Would his face still look charming and kind and… warm, caring? I remembered the connection I'd felt with him, the instant trust I'd placed with him. It had nearly cost me my life then – I'd been only four, and if my mom hadn't worried about me, hadn't loved me so much, I wouldn't have even reached five.

Another break into silence, and my mom came over and hugged me, hard. I hugged her just as hard back, giving her a watery smile. She stroked my hair softly, murmured words of nothingness into my ear before pulling away, holding my shoulders. Her eyes searched my face, and she said, "You know I love you, right? And that nothing's ever going to change that?"

"I know. I love you, too," I said softly, sniffling at her, self-consciously feeling that Hunter and Sky were watching us, and I was crying.

"Morgan," she said, breathing softly through her clenched teeth, "your father is Ciaran MacEwan."

Nothing rang inside me – no bells. I'd never even heard his name before. I didn't know him.

But Sky and Hunter knew. There was a certain recognition about them. Something new was registered in their eyes, a familiar emotion that I knew, except this time, it was different. It was fear.

Of me.

* * *

I apologize for lateness (yet again).

Thanks to **JessMess **and **spazzysassyangel** for reviewing the last chapter.

Please review!


	7. Sarcasm

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Author's Notes: Soooo…I apologize. Again. For being late. Again. In advance – I apologize. I know it's going to happen.

* * *

The next few weeks were incredibly awkward.

Hunter and Sky did most of the shopping, since Mom made me stay in the house and she didn't leave, either. She was still upset about someone scrying on me, and, I inferred, the knowledge of my birth father being out. To me it hadn't seemed like a big deal, but Hunter's and Sky's repetitively unannounced absences proved me wrong.

They could no longer look me in the eye. They didn't even want to talk to my mom anymore – apparently she had had a dirty night with a bad guy. So what? It wasn't like I hadn't before.

I spent most of my time locked up in my room, huddled in my closet. At least, if someone scryed me, all they would see was the blackness of the closet surrounding me. They wouldn't be able to tell where I was.

Mom withdrew me from school, apparently telling them that she was going to home-school me, but all she'd done so far was tell me to read some books. Which I didn't listen to, anyway. It mustn't have been that big of a deal, because she didn't persist annoyingly, like she usually did.

Dinner was awkward; no one made conversation except for mom's idle chatter, but even then she talked about flower and watching sunny days through the window.

When I did spend time out of my closet, there was absolutely nothing to do.

They had no TV, which they didn't find weird at all. I'd convinced them to buy a little one for the corner of the living room (which was my room with my couch-bed, which gave me an awful night's rest) but there's was no cable box which meant the channels absolutely sucked. I spent most of my time trying not to crack up laughing at SpongeBob SquarePants – pretty pathetic, if you ask me.

I wasn't allowed to make any telephone calls, though I heard Hunter swear repeatedly at my phone as it rang and rang again – sometimes with Joey's ringtone, sometimes for the private callers.

I wondered who'd found out my cell phone number.

Sometimes when I flickered on the television to watch my daily dose of SpongeBob, my mom would join me, or she'd sit in the armchair nearby and curl up with a Danielle Steel book of Sky's. Today, though, was unlike any other.

Freaking British Hunter had joined me.

He sat, not amused, as Patrick called SpongeBob "SpongeBoob". Immaturely, I found myself laughing hysterically while Hunter tried to ignore me.

Finally, he reached over me, and turned the TV off. I tried to ignore the tugs that seemed like sparks should be flying up to meet his arm when it was only three inches above me.

"Look," Hunter said simply, "we need to talk."

Talk. I hated talking.

"I know you don't even know who Ciaran MacEwan is," said Hunter slowly, and I groaned and grimaced. Lately, I'd been trying to ignore emotions.

This definitely wasn't helping.

"But, well, you're considerably a very powerful Woodbane. Untrained, but powerful. You've got one-half of you light – from your mother – and one half of you dark – from your father. We're just not sure what side is going to reign you in."

I growled. So that's what this was about.

"Yeah, well, I'm not choosing sides while I'm stuck in this hellhole. And what the heck is a Woodbane, anyway?"

He ignored me, as usual.

"Right now, it seems as if you're going to turn to the dark side."

"Okay, I must be dreaming. You're not going all Star Wars on me, are you? If so, can you please not talk to me like I'm Anakin Skywalker? I much prefer Leia, thanks."

Hunter was not amused.

"Anyway," I continued, "didn't Anakin – well, Darth Vader – didn't he become good anyway, like, in the last one? You know the whole corny, 'Luke, I am your father,' line that's now a total cliché?"

"Morgan," Hunter said seriously, "this is no time for silly jokes and stupid games. This is serious! You could change the entire course of Woodbane history!"

"Here we are with the Woodbane thing again." I rolled my eyes skyward. "If you're going to make a crack at me, at least make sure I know what it means."

"Woodbanes," he said slowly, as if wanting a dramatic effect, "are witches that are evil. Power hungry."

I snorted. "Yeah, that's really like my mom."

"You can choose to be good! That's the point, Morgan!" Hunter looked frustrated. My hand itched for the remote; where was SpongeBob's high-pitched bubbly laugh when you needed it? "Your mom chose to be good. Me? I'm half Woodbane! I chose to be good!"

He seemed so concentrated on getting the point across that I laughed.

"Right, right, we wouldn't want an evil Hunter mucking around now, would we?" I scowled. "Although someone already stole my cell phone and put me on lock down."

Hunter grimaced, but didn't say anything. "Well, you're a lost cause you are," he finally grumbled, turning towards the kitchen. "Maeve, your daughter is a little witch!"

Mom's tinkling laughter trickled back; she'd obviously thought he'd been creating a pun or something.

"Not like that!" shouted Hunter hoarsely, and Mom's laughter stopped.

She came out of the room then, sending Hunter a calm glance. She handed him a teacup on a little tea-dish-thinger, and I couldn't help but feel as if I was being transported into an old black and white corny romance movie.

"You'll have to give her time, Hunter," she said soothingly, and I grimaced. I stomped a few yards away, flicked the TV on so SpongeBob would obnoxiously ruin their serene mood, and slammed into my closet. I pulled a pillow and a blanket from the shelves above me; my closet was a linen closet.

What? It can be handy.

I was so sleeping in here tonight. I scrunched up into a fetal position as SpongeBob's voice was suddenly cut off.

I was scrunched up, but the rug in here was at least better then that ratty couch.

Even the ratty couch was better than staying in Sky's room, though. I could feel her cold glare through the freaking door.

This was it. This was the final straw.

I had to break out of here.

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Ending Author's Notes: Okay. Minor cliffy. Sorry.

Please review, and take a moment to visit my homepage and vote on my poll – if you're familiar with Harry Potter, of course. Random, I know.

I apologize, again – you know what for.

Thanks to **JessMess, spazzysassyangel, xX Hidden Secret Xx, **and **XxHyBriDk10 **for reviewing.


	8. Breakout

So. Yet another long wait. My apologies again. I just am such a procrastinator that when I have no deadline I just...don't try. So it was really, really difficult to write this chapter. But thanks to this music, I have finished it: Body Talk, Small Town, The Transmission, Final Battle, and Thank You Glorious by My Epiphany; Glass Ceiling, I.O.U., and Siamese Cities by Metric; A Thing For Me by Metronomy; Supermassive Black Hole by Muse; Spotlight (Twilight Mix) by Mute Math; Decode and I Caught Myself by Paramore; and Go All The Way (Into The Twilight) by Perry Farrell.

I do not own any Sweep related characters/ideas.

Now without further ado, chapter eight! Read and review!

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Chapter 8

My plan was very under-thought, and therefore carrying out the plan was more difficult then I ever had imagined. I had no idea what to do to get out of here. I was encountering many things that I didn't even know of – for instance, how many wards or spells had they put up to keep me from escaping? How many did I know how to get through? (That answer was easy – none.)

So now I was lost, planning to actually jump out the window to avoid the door. I usually wouldn't lower myself to jumping out the damned window, but I was stuck between staying here and that. I'd chosen that, despite the fact that I was disrespecting myself to a _window_. I'd found out – in a very helpful way – that I could extend my senses, sort of. They were strangely like tendrils, all connected to me, and if I thought hard enough and pushed with my mind, they extended and told me about living things around me.

For instance, it could tell me when the people in this house fell asleep.

I was waiting on Hunter. I wish I knew some type of spell to knock people out, but of course I was under-taught by these damn British teachers who liked to teach me _other_ names of plants instead of the useful things. My mother was already in a deeply peaceful sleep, and I felt a pang of guilt for the anguish I was going to cause her. However, Sky seemed nearly as restless as Hunter, other than the fact that she was sleeping fitfully, whacking the wall with her fist repeatedly as she turned in her sleep. I began to wonder if Hunter was suspecting me; why had his cousin and my mother fallen asleep and not him? Why did he have to care _at all_?

He was annoyingly stubborn, and I wished he would just fall asleep. If he suspected me so much, he should've told my mother. I didn't want to be anyone's responsibility, let alone _him_. It made me want to punch him so hard that blood spurted from the side of his mouth like spit. I surprised myself with these violent thoughts; the only time I'd had these before was when I got into a fight in seventh grade when this girl had been annoying me past the limit. Of course, my mom had cried over my behavior, grounded me for a month, and I'd been suspended from school for a week. Making my mom cry had made me feel worse then my guilt for beating the girl into a bloody mess of a being.

I looked at what I was bringing with me for my journey to – where exactly? I had no destination, and I was bringing one change of clothes with me. I didn't know where any car keys were, and the fact that I couldn't see my car in the driveway made me predict that they'd hidden my car somewhere. I don't know where, but maybe they had some invisibility spell or something. Not that I'd know.

Something changed around Hunter's aura – he seemed to have given up, or something. I could feel him fazing into unconsciousness. My heart picked up a beat; here it was. My big break-through. Could I pull it off?

I scoffed at myself for my doubt. How many times had I snuck out successfully before? Too many to count. Grinning at myself, I crunched the note I'd written to my mom in my hand and dropped it on the floor. If she really cared, she'd find it and straighten it out, I figured.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up. No matter how many times I'd snuck out before, I was fairly certain that my mother had never put wards on the house so I couldn't leave. Judging the amount of crappy situations I'd gotten myself into, that was probably bad judgment on her part.

I tried to open the door slowly, but at only a few inches it creaked teasingly, and I froze. Sky shifted in her sleep again, but there was no more movement. Feeling slightly nauseas, I got out the rest of the way without incident and finally shut the door behind me swiftly, and at the speed I was pushing it, it hardly creaked at all (infuriatingly enough).

The next obstacle was the window. It seemed to be closed shut and never-been opened. I unlocked it and tried to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge. Cursing, I ditched the window and instead went to the door. This hadn't been my plan at all. Why hadn't I seen if the window could open before? Then I wouldn't be stuck here, trying to make the most predictable sneak-out ever. For one more fraction of a moment, I listened to the three deep breathings on the floor above me; no changes.

I unbolted the door. Nothing. I turned the door knob, pulled it back, and –

Still nothing. I gasped in amazement; there had been nothing put against me, nothing stopping me, not even magickally. Smirking at their idiocy, I stepped forward.

And met a wall.

I couldn't see squat, put when I put my hands up, there was definitely something there. Thicker air, somehow. I cringed and pushed against it, feeling it bend under my hands but not weather or move. It was weird, like bendable air. I kept trying to push it, but it worked with me, not letting me get any farther.

I began to punch it, my anger overriding my determination. Frustrated tears pricked the backs of my eyes, and I wanted to burst into tears and sob all over the miserable floor. I hated that floor. I hated this house. I wanted to hate these people. But no matter how much my mom could irritate me, I could never hate her.

I was on the verge of outright sobbing, something that never happened to Morgan-the-Stoic, when suddenly words popped into my head. I had no idea where they'd come from. I don't know why they were there, where I'd read them, what I was doing with them.

_I need to get out_

_Let me pass_

_This is the only route_

_Without broken glass._

Surprisingly, something new bent beneath my hand; the air seemed to quiver for a moment before breaking beneath my hand. I pushed harder, harder, repeating the phrase in my head again and again, feeling the invisible wall shake beneath my hand even more quickly.

Finally, something seemed to shatter; I felt it beneath my hand, suddenly disappearing as if there'd been nothing there in the first place. I felt a sense of exhilaration as I out-stepped my boundaries, as I left my safe haven. And then I shut the door behind me.

For a moment, there was complete silence. Then an owl hooted in the distance, and I was immediately aware of everything around me, my senses on hyper-alert. It took me a moment to realize that I was scared. I was leaving to be alone; I was running away. Leaving forever, hopefully. And I didn't feel any regret about it. Shouldn't I be feeling something other then being afraid to where I was headed?

The owl hooted again, and something broke inside me, and I ran down the road, my feet pattering a rhythm that was wild, as I ran at different speeds, my breathing labored and heavy at the excursion of energy.

I heard noises that I never wanted to hear; shifting, branches breaking, cracking, owls hooting. And I ran, ran like death was on my tail.

I was just seeing the crack of the sun above the horizon when I realized where I was. I didn't even know where I was; let alone where I was headed. I was thankful for the light; I was still worried about someone jumping out of their car and pointing a gun at me. I was sure that Wicca wouldn't help me if I encountered _that_.

I was beginning to shudder, from the cold. It was only mid-October, but the morning was chillier than I'd anticipated, and, smart me, I hadn't brought a sweater. Or even my change of clothes; I'd dropped them when I'd tried to pry open the window.

I was stumbling and limping along when a little blue BMW came around the corner. I frowned, trying to see the driver as they slowed to look at me. I couldn't help the impending beating of my heart. This was it – this person was going to pull the trigger on me now, or a knife, or –

"_Morgan Roberts_?" said the voice incredulously, and I finally noticed who was in the front seat. It was that snobby whore, Bree Warren, from my school. I was heading in her direction? Towards the school district's direction? The second thing that came to mind was: Bree Warren could kill me.

I resisted the urge to giggle at that thought. Why the hell would _Bree Warren _want to kill me? It wasn't like I'd ever called her a whore to her face.

"Um, are you okay?" said Bree, in what I was sure she was feigning innocence.

"Why do you care?" I said back smarmily, surprised at the shock that came to her face in reply.

"Well, you don't _look _like you're okay," said Bree, "so I was just offering…I could make you some coffee, or something…" Her voice trailed off, and I found myself wanting to smile. What an idiot. Who the hell would offer me _coffee _when I looked like this? What I really needed was a kicking shower and some clean clothes.

Then I realized she was waiting for me to accept or decline her offer. I froze, unsure of what to do. On one hand, I could hide at her house. On the other – me, hanging out with the queen of stuck-up, Bree Warren? It didn't seem likely that I could even get along with her to ten minutes, let alone camp in her house. But what choice did I have? If I waited any longer, there's the chance that Bree might tell someone. Or that Hunter and my mother might find me.

"Coffee sounds nice," I said, and I stepped forward.

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Thanks to **Adabella Cullen**, **JessMess**,** mrs edward cullenxxx**,** spazzyspassyangel**, **TriquetraBD**,** xX Hidden Secret Xx**, and **XxHyBriDk10** for reviewing chapter seven.


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